(i) Technical Field
The invention relates to a surface treatment device for subjecting a toner image to a surface treatment, an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording medium, a belt member with a surface of which a toner image is pressed to contact to be heated, and an image forming method of forming a toner image on the recording medium.
(ii) Related Art
In recent years, an image forming apparatus typified by a printer, a copy machine has become widespread and technologies relating to various elements constituting the image forming apparatus also have become widespread. Recently, technologies for easily taking a photograph such as a technology of a digital camera, and the like have become widespread, and a request for creating a high quality image like a photograph has been increased in the field of the image forming apparatus. Of image forming apparatuses employing an electrophotography system, an image forming apparatus for forming a high quality image specific to a photographic image by subjecting a toner image to a surface treatment at a final stage of image formation appears. Such surface treatment is carried out by applying heat to the toner image in a state in which a surface treatment belt member is pressed to contact with the toner image on the recording medium. In such surface treatment, a toner containing a wax with a low melting point is used. When the toner image is heated, the wax is melted prior to the other components (resins containing colorants and the like) of the toner and adhered to the surface of a belt member, and the resins containing the colorants and the like are melted on the wax. The toner image can be easily separated from the surface of the belt member by the use of the wax. However, as the toner images are subjected to a fixing treatment repeatedly, the wax is adhered on the surface of the belt member as it is, and thus irregularities are formed on the surface of the belt member. When many irregularities are formed on the surface of the belt member, many irregularities are also formed on the surface of an image subjected to the surface treatment by reflecting the surface shape of the belt member. As a result, an image which lacks glossiness and whose quality as a photographic image is deteriorated is formed. To cope with the above problem, recently, there is proposed a belt member whose surface is covered with fluorocarbon siloxane rubber that is a material to which wax is unlikely to adhere.